Reformed Churches in the Philippines

What makes a church a Reformed Church? I'd say confessing the Three Forms of Unity (the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort) and holding to a reformed church polity. That would be the two most basic foundations if a church was going to call itself Reformed.

But in the Philippines that seems to not be the case. It seems as if to be Reformed one need only confess TULIP (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints). That is also a problem with the neo-Calvinist movement in the West. A profession of faith in TULIP without regard to the myriad of other points that make one Reformed such as the doctrines of baptism and the covenant.

There are quite a few churches in the Philippines which call themselves Reformed but anyone from the West who joined the worship service would not recognise them as being such.  

For starters the music. 

The Reformed Churches sing from the Psalter. There are a few versions of the psalter used by various Reformed denominations but the music is still the psalms in verse form sung either a cappella or with a piano or organ accompaniment. Not so in the Philippines. In the Philippines the worship service is rooted in Pentecostalism with guitars and keyboards and even a drum box. The songs are typical modern worship fare: love songs to Jesus with much repetition. Sometimes there are also hymns. Rock of Ages and all the other popular hymns.

The reason for this, as I have been told, is to attract the youth. Young people get bored with the stuffy old Psalter. But singing from the Psalter is a distinctive of Reformed worship. If you are not singing from the psalter then your worship is not Reformed. 

Another Reformed distinctive not held to in the Philippines is that there is one man who is the pastor and only he can speak from the Pulpit.  In the Philippines churches will have each elder speak on a rotating basis. Throughout the service several people will speak from the pulpit. One person will do the beginning prayer, one person will lead the music, one person will pray again, the appointed elder will speak, someone else will give the benediction over the offering, and lastly someone will give the announcements.

Yes announcements come at the end of the service and not at the beginning nor are they spelled out on the bulletin which most churches give you as you enter the service. Many of these speakers might also be women. A woman might pray over the offering or give the announcements or even lead the music. This would never happen in a Reformed Church in the West. Ok maybe in the more liberal denominations like the CRC. But then again is the CRC really Reformed?

Of all the churches I have ever attended not one Reformed Church uses a projector with power point. I did attend Mark Driscoll's church in Seattle once but that doesn't count because he is not Reformed. He is only tiptoeing through the TULIPs. At the end of the service I attended he announced that anyone wanting to get baptised could do so as Mars Hill would provide the clothes and a towel. Anyone getting baptised would also receive a free "I got dunked at Mars Hill" t-shirt. That is clearly not Reformed and damn near blasphemous.

In the Philippines the Reformed Churches use projectors with powerpoint. They project the lyrics to the songs (sometimes with bad typos like "Let angels prostate fall" instead of "prostrate"), the announcements, and the outline of the sermon as the pastor speaks.  It strikes me as almost infantile that the congregation cannot follow along without a projection to look at. Reformed Churches tend to be intellectual and academic with multipoint sermons an hour long and the people following along attentively with no images upon which to gaze.

This morning the most amazing image was projected as the ten commandments were read.

That is Charlton Heston as Moses! The whole church was reading along with Charlton Heston holding the two tables of the law!!

As I mentioned at the beginning, confessing the Three Forms of Unity is crucial to being a Reformed Church. But in the Philippines these confessions are not exactly confessed. The Heidelberg Catechism is broken up into 52 Lord's Days which means there is one part of the catechism to be preached each Sunday. I have yet to see this happen in the Philippines. What generally happens is that  during the pre-service Catechism Class, which only a few people attend, a section of one of the Three Forms is discussed and the sermon, when the whole congregation is present, is on a random topic. That is not Reformed preaching at all.

Perhaps one of the most un-Reformed parts of the Reformed Church service in the Philippines is the after-service snack.

I have never been to any Church that had an after-service snack. I did attend a Russian Orthodox service once where bread was offered afterwards and there was a lunch but I don't recall any Protestant church I have attended where a snack was given afterwards unless it was a very special occasion and then there was a huge lunch in the gym. 

Perhaps this is apostolic? Perhaps this is reminiscent of the agape meal?

The church I attended today had a dog roaming about. He is owned by the caretaker and he is well behaved. No barking or dirt during the service.  But just look at the creature.

He knows all too well about the after-service snack. He probably looks forward to Sunday as much any of the most devout.